Advertising and marketing ideas.

Hello:

Hope you all are doing well.

I wanted to check with everyone about which advertising or marketing ideas have they tried and have worked out.

Reghu

As you can see by lack of replies, this is the million dollar question that tax pros dont seem to talk about much, not sure why, probably because no one has perfected yet a great way on how to attract new clients but I wish we shared more ideas on this forum. For me, I have never found one thing that works above all its been a variety of different ways. Word of mouth, emailing, Facebook posts, door to door mailings, purchasing new homeowner mailing lists, of course referrals,ads in local newspapers, being social, and so on. Look forward to more people on this forum sharing and interacting on this topic.

The last few years I've done mailings to new home owners. It essentially pays for itself which IMO is pretty good. It just hasn't produced volume because I don't want to expand my area too much. Most have returned.

I've done classified type ads in the past in my very local newspaper and it has always paid for itself and clients returned. I've quit doing it because I also got a lot of "jerks".


I'm trying Yelp and a referral website this year - we'll see. I don't need a lot of new business but replacing my dying clients would be nice!!

I'm trying radio advertising this year, on a local classical station. My theory was that it would fit my target market - people with discretionary income. I have had two enquiries, both of which have turned into clients - one is pretty run of the mill but the other will turn into quite a nice fee if I do a good job. i need more people to call, though.

Paying for an enhanced spot on the NAEA "Find a Tax Professional" has paid for itself. Even better has been a simple advert on my car doors. $200 to have simple advertising in white on a red car has paid for itself. Apparently it lasts three years and I have already gained enough business to pay for it into retirement.

I have also been extremely fortunate that local professional colleagues have referred clients to me. Some on this board will, perhaps, recall the issues I had at my former employer's, culminating in my departure from there last May. The support I have received has been heartening. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, I would not have gained those referrals without being an active member of my local EA chapter.

Enhanced spot on NAEA - does that mean the people at the top of the list are paying for it? Is there another way to know this is the case? For example some sites will mention it is in some way paid. Or are the red pins on the map the people who paid?

I've got 3 red pins on the map very close to my office.

I knew a guy who advertised his insurance company on the Catholic radio station. Said it was terrific.

When I started out I did a flyer in a little handout thing at stores / restaurants around my office. I have about 5 clients from that $200 ad back in 2005.

Advertising effectiveness is dependent on your location and market. I know tax preparers that deal heavily with EITC clients and they are always advertising on the radio/TV, offer discount coupons etc. I suppose it works for them because I see them year after year.

Then there are those that strictly work with referrals. If you somehow got a chance to call their office and ask them to prepare your tax return they will want to know who referred you to them. They don't work with people walking off the street.

I know one senior tax preparer who has roughly 100 high net worth clients and he does not even do the returns of children/relatives of his clients unless they meet his requirements. Over the years I have received referrals from him.

Beagle, yes, it costs $199 per year to get a "premium" spot on the NAEA website. Putting in my office ZIP gets a list that has me second. In fact, just putting my city also gets me listed second. I spent $85 on a photo session and the photo turned out pretty good too!

I spent 2 years blogging about mostly-local related tax issues. Perhaps a post each week. By the time I hung my shingle I had a nice organic flow of clients that I still get years later.

Google Ads has worked well for me too as I spent lots of time learning how to optimize my campaigns to make them reasonably cheap per conversion.

I also politely ask my all of my clients for referrals.

My website is my biggest source of new business.

I spent 2 years blogging about mostly-local related tax issues. Perhaps a post each week. By the time I hung my shingle I had a nice organic flow of clients that I still get years later.

I think this one is huge if you can find a way to get it linked to a google search.

I tried Google and all I got was "free loaders" wasting my time. I have now settled for referrals only! The quality seems to be much better.

My growth, which has been HUGE that past two years, are based on the following, but number one is referrals:

-Networking via local Chamber events
-Becoming a leadership member of one of the Chamber programs
-Forging relationships with individuals I meet where we have a "connection"
-Referrals
-Searching local Facebook Groups and sites like NextDoor for keywords, such as CPA, Accountant, Tax Preparer, and responding with my contact information. I have received nice number of clients utilizing two websites/apps I already routinely view
-I appear in top 10 list of Best CPAs in my area on Yelp (no idea what their requirements are, it just happened)
-I appear on page 1 or 2 of Google results for key phrases used to find people like me. My placement is above or in the middle of much larger firms in the area, which I am quite pleased with...and I happen to have the single nicest website

None of it really costs me money. It is just time, which I already spend on these topics.

I ask every new client how they heard about me. It is interesting to hear, and is not always a way I would have expected but one commonality exists--they chose me because I stand out from the pack from the start, and it just continues in how I operate and handle client relations.

-I appear on page 1 or 2 of Google results for key phrases used to find people like me.

Just curious what you experience with folks who found you on Google search was?

Did you get a whole bunch of "freeloaders"?

Mine was horrible

I have found some pretty amazing clients. I do get the freeloaders from time to time, especially Feb-April, but I have picked up some great business clients including one that I bill about $30,000/year and have had him since 2015. Some great well-funded startups, others that pay good fees and are good to work with.

-I appear on page 1 or 2 of Google results for key phrases used to find people like me.

Just curious what you experience with folks who found you on Google search was?

Did you get a whole bunch of "freeloaders"?

Mine was horrible

I agree Google and Yelp have been great. Try to get on Google local and ask for client reviews for the clients you do good work for.

-I appear in top 10 list of Best CPAs in my area on Yelp (no idea what their requirements are, it just happened)

I am second on the Yelp List in my area. The firm listed ahead of me has been closed since 2017. Sole practitioner just ghosted all his clients. No one knows where he went. I inherited about 2 dozen of his former clients. One went on Yelp and left a 1-star review to warn others to stay away. Still listed #1. Yelp ranking system is surely a mystery.

Sole practitioner just ghosted all his clients. No one knows where he went. I inherited about 2 dozen of his former clients. One went on Yelp and left a 1-star review to warn others to stay away. Still listed #1. Yelp ranking system is surely a mystery.

That is the prime reason a lot of folks are very suspicious of online reviews that are glowing! Can you really trust online reviews?

Thank you for the kind responses.

When I started, I was an ELP for the Dave Ramsey program. It created a lot of lead flow and most are still clients today. I stopped because most of the clients weren’t my ideal client profile (mostly W-2 returns, very little business leads). However, it got me off the ground.

Today:

1. Building relationships with financial advisors. Go out to lunch, see if you can help them. Most like the idea of having someone on call for tax questions without going on the clock. I view the time spent helping them as my marketing investment.

2. BNI - many don’t like the concept, I understand some of the concerns. I consistently bring in $20K a year in new business which compounds each year.

Most like the idea of having someone on call for tax questions without going on the clock.

That is the key to building relationships with attorneys, financial advisers, real estate agents etc.

They need to be comfortable that you are willing to answer their questions without charging them and that they can refer their clients to you and you will do a good job. Pretty basic!

To keep the relationship vibrant, you in turn refer your clients who may have a need for their services to them and it is nice to get together for lunch/dinner/golf game and share ideas or just catch up.

When I was a young man, I remember an insurance agent who carried a small notebook in his coat pocket. He would note down details of his meeting with a prospect such as name, address, phone #, occupation, family detail etc. when he met someone at any place. Then have that logged into an index card of prospects. He had 2 or 3 steel index card cabinets full of prospects. His secretary would call those periodically just to check on them and keep his name in front of them. He was very successful and he had a friendly cheerful personality that helped put prospects at ease to share those information.